Diabetic patients often have to check their blood glucose levels multiple times per day. This is most commonly done using a sharp lancet device to create a small pinprick on a fingertip or other body part from which a drop of blood may be obtained for sampling. In addition, many diabetics require multiple daily doses of insulin given subcutaneously (typically in the abdominal wall, thighs or arms) in order to keep their blood sugars at a safe level. It has been shown that a significant number of diabetics are non-compliant with their diabetes treatment regimen mainly because of the pain involved. (Burge, Diabetes Care, August 2001, vol. 24, no. 8, 1502-1503) This noncompliance has been shown to double the risk of hospitalization in these patients resulting in almost double the medical costs. (Sokol, Medical Care, June 2005, Volume 43, Issue 6, pp: 521-530)
There is a need in the art for improved systems, methods, and devices for reducing or eliminating pain from injections and related procedures for treating diabetes.